The gold rush! A Spanish strategy..
Hey folks! Many belive that the Japanese are the ultimate islands civ but here I will try to show and explain why Spanish kick their butt! This strategy will use their bonuses in the best way it can be used. Making your civ so wealthy that you can buy the world...
The bonuses are as follow:
Starts with knowledge of Navigation:
1. Ancient: Doubled exploration cash:
2. Medieval: +1 Naval combat:
3. Industrial: +50% gold production
4. Modern: +1 production from hills
Start with navigation:
Since they start with knowledge of navigation there is realy only one way to play this civ effectivly. and thats conolize the islands and take control ower the sea. There are alot of islands with whales and you should be able to find atleast 10 citylocations with atleast one whale tile and if lucky two. also look for fish and dye. But one whale tile is the criteria for putting up the city. Rushing a galleon as soon as you get your first settler for free and go for the islands is a must. You will not only get all the good islands but you will also find atlantis and other lost cities first! So wenever you have the chanse/time, use your boats to explore the seas....
By settle a city with access to a whale tile you can grow in 5 turns or less. In the first 40 turns its all about expansion and growth. With a food production of atleast 4 in every city during these turns you have a flying start.
Also Getting such an advanced tech as navigation for free saves you around 4-5 turns in techresarching.
1: Ancient: Do as normal and explore with the warriors. doubled exploration cash isnt a gamebreaker but a nice extra something.
2: Medieval: The +1 naval combat bonus makes you having control over the sea. By this time you should have 1-2 galleons. (more if you feel threathened).
You should build all your cities on islands and whith this bonus you dont have to build any defensive units whatsoever in them. The only city that need a few units is the capital. Your fleet will take care of your protection.
3: Industrial: +50% gold production. Whoooohaa! This strategy will use the strenght of having a strong economy. The +50% will help you win in any way you want.
4: Modern: + 1 production from hills. A total useless bonus. Personaly I dont care of what the last bonus are because this is so late in game so it doesnt matter. If using this strategy right you will make so much gold when you reach modern area so you can rush everything. you need. Armies, buildings and wonders.
Then let the game begin!
If you can settle the first settler so you get acces to a whale tile do so. This is not a must but good and its whorth loosing 1-2 turns in the beginning if that means you will get a whale tile. After settled put 2 on forests and produce 2-4 warriors depending on starting location. After that switch to grass (or whale) and grow to 3 pop. when you reach a pop of 3 you should have camed up whith/or close to 100 gold from the exploration and attacking barb huts.
Emiditly after getting your first settler for free you should rush a galleon for 60 gp and then rush a settler the turn right after that for 40gp. Now put your both settlers on the galleon and start whale hunting. When finding an island whith a whale tile settle it and start grow to 3 pop.
First tech to research is bronze. Both for be able to build archer if needed but mostely to get acces to fish. Many times you can place a city to get acces to both a whale and fishtile. Dye is nice but this early in game you cant use that so good food resources are the most important now.
Now you have 3 cities after about 15-20 turns (depending on how fast you got the 100 gold)
After 5 turns you get to pop 3 in them and now for a timing thing. Since you can both grow and tech up in these cities you will be in midevial soon. Try to rush 3 settlers from your 3 cities in Ancient for 40gp and then settle them in midevial to get a pop of 3 in them. So this means after about 22-26 turns you will now have 6 cities. In the 3 cities you just have settled in midevial you can rush a settler right away if you have the gold. So hopefully you can settle 2 more cities before you are 28-30 turns into them game and here you should finish researching irrigation. During growing from 2 pop in your 3 cities to a pop of 3 you have around 5 turns to explore a little with your galleon to find atlantis etc.. and look for more nice islands to colonize.
Important to finish irrigation at this time because otherwise the AI might get it before you.
So after 30 turns you have atleast 7 cities, maybe 9 if you have been lucky with locations/gold etc.. The irrigation now boost all your cities and you gain a huge bonus in pop.
After reaching irrigation research (writing, Literacy) and then code of laws and after code of laws start to research democracy. This will leave you a window of about 2-4 turns between COL and democracy to produce settlers before you get democracy. Hopefully you will be able to build around 3-5 settlers and keep an eye on your tech board. You should be in.. or very close to industrial area now. If possible Don't settle the settlers untill you have reached industrial. Timing here is important. the best are if you can rush those settlers in midevial for 60gp and then settle them in industrial to get the 4 pop. (If you are missing 1-2 techs you can buy a cheap one from the AI and research the ones that takes 1 turn.) And yes its worth having the settler wait 1-2 turns on the spot before settle it if that means you get 4 pop instead of 3 right away. The same turn you reach industrial you shall pick your first gold city and switch to gold production in it.
Industrial Area: You cant get enough of gold!!!!
Woohaa.. Now your gold production will increase by 50 %. Dont have a city in gold production before industrial area. But right when you get into this area you should decide which of all your cities that should be your cashcow. The gold city should be the best island with largest pop and most resources like whale,fish and dye. Right after switching to gold production in this city research currency so that you will get a market for free in this city. After this you start to get a steady flow of cash. Rush a library in your secon largest city and this will be your main sciense producing city. After that save up gold to reach the 500 gold mark for a free GP and then save a little more so you can rush a bank in your gold city. Now you will have a steady flow of gold and can rush librarys in all your other cities exept 1-2 of them. rush market in those instead to get a better gold production. Dont switch to gold production in them before you have build the market in them though.
If your sciense city is big and you have a scientist settled in it you maybe are better of saving gold to rush a university in this one instead of spending gold on librarys in your smaller cities. either way rush librarys in your smaller cities and a university in your sciensecity as fast as you can.
Here its also time to rush a harbour in your mainsciensecity and in your gold city so that thoses two will grow fast.
If you haven't got a Great builder for free (or seeling one) its time to rush the East india company here aswell.
So what about all the techs when and how should I research them?
- I will stress the most important ones here and the others you can fit in where it suits you the best.
Bronze, pottery, Alphabet first..
Massonary fast so that you need less beakers for irrigation and to get the free wall in your capital.
Irrigation 1300-1000 BC (28-29 turns into the game so that you get irrigation first)
Code of laws and then democracy
Literacy fast for the bonus +1 sciense/city.
Currency as soon as you reach Industrial area for the free market in your gold city.
Monarchy and invention fast to get the free GP and get acces to dye early.
Steam power to get control over the sea and get the cruiser for free.
Industrialisation and coporation: both extremly important to get fast for the extra + 5 gold/turn in each city.
After having a huge gold city with a bank and 1-2 more with markets and both industrialisation and coporation you now will have such a good gold production that you can save up fast and rush colossus in your gold city. Later on you can rush trade fair wonder in it.
Now get Networking ASAP! (if you have a scientist or can steal one from the AI then use it to rush this tech) This tech will let you rush universitys for half cost in your best sciense cities. And due to your massive gold production it want take you many turns to do so. And if you are lucky you can get your hands on a Great builder to rush the internet wonder that will double your whole economy! (in one of my games I was producing almost 7000 gold/turn from my gold city. It was only around 1000 AD so it only had a pop of 16 but still it could produce this insane amount of gold.
After this research whatever you want. depending on what kind of wictory you wanna go for. The year now should be 200-1000 AD and you should be in modern area.
The use of your GP
Scientists:
The first scientist you get you should settle in your main science city. Unless you get him extremly late and by late I mean in modern area. Its enough whith one scientist settled and use the rest to rush important tech such coporation and networking.
Great Builder:
If you are lucky and get a Great builder fast you should ofcourse rush the East India Company with him. This will help you alot! if getting him later build the internet wonder with him.
What about defense?
Well the only city that you will have to protect with defensive units in is your capital because this is the only city your enemies will have acces too. But scince you got the free wall you want have a problem defending it. The warriors you explore with in the beginning you place out as scouts on chokepoints. So you only need at first 1 archer in your capital. Then if you feel threatened you can fast rush two more to get an army.
All your other cities will be on islands (except maybe 1-3 of your latest ones depending on how many nice island places there is)
This means your enemy will have to get past your fleet before getting to your cities. I have atleast 1 galleon but preferably 2 very early and wteh later I get a cruiser for free. You might think its dificoult to defend so many islands with cities but its not. The ones at deep water the enemy cant reach untill late in game and by that time you should be bale to have alot of cruisers. The islands that are at shallow water and can be reached by a galley are the ones that you have to protect. but with 3 ships (or if needed a few more) this is not a problem.
A sum up!
This strategy will let you expand fast!
It will letting you have a great sciense production the whole way.
It will make you extremly rich!
It will be easy for you to defend yourself!
I think I dont have missed any important things but if I have please let me know and Ill try explain it or add it in the strategy.
*cheers*
Hey folks! Many belive that the Japanese are the ultimate islands civ but here I will try to show and explain why Spanish kick their butt! This strategy will use their bonuses in the best way it can be used. Making your civ so wealthy that you can buy the world...
The bonuses are as follow:
Starts with knowledge of Navigation:
1. Ancient: Doubled exploration cash:
2. Medieval: +1 Naval combat:
3. Industrial: +50% gold production
4. Modern: +1 production from hills
Start with navigation:
Since they start with knowledge of navigation there is realy only one way to play this civ effectivly. and thats conolize the islands and take control ower the sea. There are alot of islands with whales and you should be able to find atleast 10 citylocations with atleast one whale tile and if lucky two. also look for fish and dye. But one whale tile is the criteria for putting up the city. Rushing a galleon as soon as you get your first settler for free and go for the islands is a must. You will not only get all the good islands but you will also find atlantis and other lost cities first! So wenever you have the chanse/time, use your boats to explore the seas....
By settle a city with access to a whale tile you can grow in 5 turns or less. In the first 40 turns its all about expansion and growth. With a food production of atleast 4 in every city during these turns you have a flying start.
Also Getting such an advanced tech as navigation for free saves you around 4-5 turns in techresarching.
1: Ancient: Do as normal and explore with the warriors. doubled exploration cash isnt a gamebreaker but a nice extra something.
2: Medieval: The +1 naval combat bonus makes you having control over the sea. By this time you should have 1-2 galleons. (more if you feel threathened).
You should build all your cities on islands and whith this bonus you dont have to build any defensive units whatsoever in them. The only city that need a few units is the capital. Your fleet will take care of your protection.
3: Industrial: +50% gold production. Whoooohaa! This strategy will use the strenght of having a strong economy. The +50% will help you win in any way you want.
4: Modern: + 1 production from hills. A total useless bonus. Personaly I dont care of what the last bonus are because this is so late in game so it doesnt matter. If using this strategy right you will make so much gold when you reach modern area so you can rush everything. you need. Armies, buildings and wonders.
Then let the game begin!
If you can settle the first settler so you get acces to a whale tile do so. This is not a must but good and its whorth loosing 1-2 turns in the beginning if that means you will get a whale tile. After settled put 2 on forests and produce 2-4 warriors depending on starting location. After that switch to grass (or whale) and grow to 3 pop. when you reach a pop of 3 you should have camed up whith/or close to 100 gold from the exploration and attacking barb huts.
Emiditly after getting your first settler for free you should rush a galleon for 60 gp and then rush a settler the turn right after that for 40gp. Now put your both settlers on the galleon and start whale hunting. When finding an island whith a whale tile settle it and start grow to 3 pop.
First tech to research is bronze. Both for be able to build archer if needed but mostely to get acces to fish. Many times you can place a city to get acces to both a whale and fishtile. Dye is nice but this early in game you cant use that so good food resources are the most important now.
Now you have 3 cities after about 15-20 turns (depending on how fast you got the 100 gold)
After 5 turns you get to pop 3 in them and now for a timing thing. Since you can both grow and tech up in these cities you will be in midevial soon. Try to rush 3 settlers from your 3 cities in Ancient for 40gp and then settle them in midevial to get a pop of 3 in them. So this means after about 22-26 turns you will now have 6 cities. In the 3 cities you just have settled in midevial you can rush a settler right away if you have the gold. So hopefully you can settle 2 more cities before you are 28-30 turns into them game and here you should finish researching irrigation. During growing from 2 pop in your 3 cities to a pop of 3 you have around 5 turns to explore a little with your galleon to find atlantis etc.. and look for more nice islands to colonize.
Important to finish irrigation at this time because otherwise the AI might get it before you.
So after 30 turns you have atleast 7 cities, maybe 9 if you have been lucky with locations/gold etc.. The irrigation now boost all your cities and you gain a huge bonus in pop.
After reaching irrigation research (writing, Literacy) and then code of laws and after code of laws start to research democracy. This will leave you a window of about 2-4 turns between COL and democracy to produce settlers before you get democracy. Hopefully you will be able to build around 3-5 settlers and keep an eye on your tech board. You should be in.. or very close to industrial area now. If possible Don't settle the settlers untill you have reached industrial. Timing here is important. the best are if you can rush those settlers in midevial for 60gp and then settle them in industrial to get the 4 pop. (If you are missing 1-2 techs you can buy a cheap one from the AI and research the ones that takes 1 turn.) And yes its worth having the settler wait 1-2 turns on the spot before settle it if that means you get 4 pop instead of 3 right away. The same turn you reach industrial you shall pick your first gold city and switch to gold production in it.
Industrial Area: You cant get enough of gold!!!!
Woohaa.. Now your gold production will increase by 50 %. Dont have a city in gold production before industrial area. But right when you get into this area you should decide which of all your cities that should be your cashcow. The gold city should be the best island with largest pop and most resources like whale,fish and dye. Right after switching to gold production in this city research currency so that you will get a market for free in this city. After this you start to get a steady flow of cash. Rush a library in your secon largest city and this will be your main sciense producing city. After that save up gold to reach the 500 gold mark for a free GP and then save a little more so you can rush a bank in your gold city. Now you will have a steady flow of gold and can rush librarys in all your other cities exept 1-2 of them. rush market in those instead to get a better gold production. Dont switch to gold production in them before you have build the market in them though.
If your sciense city is big and you have a scientist settled in it you maybe are better of saving gold to rush a university in this one instead of spending gold on librarys in your smaller cities. either way rush librarys in your smaller cities and a university in your sciensecity as fast as you can.
Here its also time to rush a harbour in your mainsciensecity and in your gold city so that thoses two will grow fast.
If you haven't got a Great builder for free (or seeling one) its time to rush the East india company here aswell.
So what about all the techs when and how should I research them?
- I will stress the most important ones here and the others you can fit in where it suits you the best.
Bronze, pottery, Alphabet first..
Massonary fast so that you need less beakers for irrigation and to get the free wall in your capital.
Irrigation 1300-1000 BC (28-29 turns into the game so that you get irrigation first)
Code of laws and then democracy
Literacy fast for the bonus +1 sciense/city.
Currency as soon as you reach Industrial area for the free market in your gold city.
Monarchy and invention fast to get the free GP and get acces to dye early.
Steam power to get control over the sea and get the cruiser for free.
Industrialisation and coporation: both extremly important to get fast for the extra + 5 gold/turn in each city.
After having a huge gold city with a bank and 1-2 more with markets and both industrialisation and coporation you now will have such a good gold production that you can save up fast and rush colossus in your gold city. Later on you can rush trade fair wonder in it.
Now get Networking ASAP! (if you have a scientist or can steal one from the AI then use it to rush this tech) This tech will let you rush universitys for half cost in your best sciense cities. And due to your massive gold production it want take you many turns to do so. And if you are lucky you can get your hands on a Great builder to rush the internet wonder that will double your whole economy! (in one of my games I was producing almost 7000 gold/turn from my gold city. It was only around 1000 AD so it only had a pop of 16 but still it could produce this insane amount of gold.
After this research whatever you want. depending on what kind of wictory you wanna go for. The year now should be 200-1000 AD and you should be in modern area.
The use of your GP
Scientists:
The first scientist you get you should settle in your main science city. Unless you get him extremly late and by late I mean in modern area. Its enough whith one scientist settled and use the rest to rush important tech such coporation and networking.
Great Builder:
If you are lucky and get a Great builder fast you should ofcourse rush the East India Company with him. This will help you alot! if getting him later build the internet wonder with him.
What about defense?
Well the only city that you will have to protect with defensive units in is your capital because this is the only city your enemies will have acces too. But scince you got the free wall you want have a problem defending it. The warriors you explore with in the beginning you place out as scouts on chokepoints. So you only need at first 1 archer in your capital. Then if you feel threatened you can fast rush two more to get an army.
All your other cities will be on islands (except maybe 1-3 of your latest ones depending on how many nice island places there is)
This means your enemy will have to get past your fleet before getting to your cities. I have atleast 1 galleon but preferably 2 very early and wteh later I get a cruiser for free. You might think its dificoult to defend so many islands with cities but its not. The ones at deep water the enemy cant reach untill late in game and by that time you should be bale to have alot of cruisers. The islands that are at shallow water and can be reached by a galley are the ones that you have to protect. but with 3 ships (or if needed a few more) this is not a problem.
A sum up!
This strategy will let you expand fast!
It will letting you have a great sciense production the whole way.
It will make you extremly rich!
It will be easy for you to defend yourself!
I think I dont have missed any important things but if I have please let me know and Ill try explain it or add it in the strategy.
*cheers*
